


The Adventures of Spidermonkey and Watson

by Beefy (Sitical)



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Auguste Lives, M/M, Nikandros suffers, Sherlock AU, beagles, but silly stupid, quasi modern
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 03:25:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17174945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sitical/pseuds/Beefy
Summary: A few stories about Laurent and Damen playing Detective. Well...Laurent is. Damen is supporting cast.





	1. Jewel Thief

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LineCrosser](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LineCrosser/gifts).



> I had so much fun concocting this silly little series of short and sweet detective stories! I truly hope it is enjoyed by everyone, ESPECIALLY the person it was meant for!!   
> MErry CHristMAS LINECROSSER!!

“You want to borrow Mother’s jewels… for an excursion?”

“Yes. I’ll be bringing them back, of course.”

Auguste sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes, likely contemplating the proposal; the pros and cons of Laurent’s idea.

“Okay, just, explain it to me please -- actually, no. Don’t tell me anything. If you’re caught, I am going to throw my hands up and play a fool. It’s better if I know nothing.” 

Laurent smiled just the slightest. “Is that a yes?” he asked.

Auguste sighed and nodded, not removing his hand from his face. “You’re not going alone, right?”

“Of course not.”

His brother merely sighed again before shooing him away to do as he pleased. Laurent would repay him later with a favor, as always. It was an unspoken exchange that they’d had going for years now.

That afternoon, Laurent rode out the palace gates with his mother’s jewelry box, as well another thin box in hand, heading out to the middle of nowhere. But this particular nowhere was somewhere special, actually. It was the place where his adventures had all began, and where he was anyone but the Prince of Vere. It was also the place where Laurent had first fallen in love. 

He and the Crown Prince of Akielos - ‘Damen, please call me Damen’ - had been courting for quite some time now, though not publicly. 

It hadn’t started out so easily either. In fact, neither had been fond of one another until they somehow got into a sticky situation outside of the palace and had had to work together to get out alive. It turned out, after surviving a life-threatening situation, that they had a lot in common, and their differences easily made up for one another's weaknesses rather well. 

The people only assumed that Prince Damianos enjoyed his time in Vere. Only Auguste knew the truth.

Damen was already waiting when Laurent arrived. He could see him just inside of the forest brush at their spot, out of sight of anyone that may happen by. Laurent signaled him with his lantern, switching it on and off three times. Then, they met in the brush.

“Did he actually give them to you?” asked Damen. 

“Surprisingly, yes. Shall we? We must get there quickly, or we’ll miss our window.”

Damen gave him a surprised look that was quickly replaced by a smile before they kicked off into a steady canter, heading North for the town of Beaufort. It was likely one of the most pleasant rides anyone could take, even at night, as it went through many fragrant fields of lavender and rosemary. They trotted through the rows of herbs, their senses overwhelmed with the fresh perfumes.

Once they reached the edge of the little town, they could hear the nightly bustle of wagons and motor vehicles puttering up and down the streets. They would be going further in than just the outskirts; there was a downtown spring harvest festival that was sure to be even busier than this. 

They tied up their horses within a small unused back patio on the outskirts. It was here that Laurent began removing his clothing, charging Damen to pull out the garments from the other box he had brought along. 

“Are you completely sure about this? It could be very dangerous, especially if they find out who you are,” Damen reiterated once more.

“I’m positive. This is our best bet of catching him,” Laurent said, grabbing for the blue fabric. “We’ve tried other ways, but he’s left us no choice.”

Damen sighed - as he had so many times while formulating this particular plan - while Laurent pulled the dress over his head, doing up as much of the lacing as he could.

“Can you cinch me up?” he asked, turning around so Damen could get to his back. Damen’s hands fumbled a lot, taking a good amount of time to lace it up. “You have to do it tighter,” he said when he realized Damen was done pulling the fabric in.

“What? But it’s already tight.”

“It has to be tighter to give me a more feminine form,” Laurent explained.

“You already--” Damen cut himself off quickly and went back to the laces, tugging on them again.

“I already what, Damianos,” Laurent asked, pulling his stomach in.

“Nothing, just hold onto something. It’s hard to pull it tighter like this.”

Once dressed, he pulled on his shoes and Damen clipped on his jewelry for him. He put on a quick couple swipes of lipsticks on his lips.

“How did you do that so quickly...Have you do--”

“Maybe,” he said quickly. “Alright. Go time.”

Laurent placed a chaste, lipstick covered kiss on Damen’s cheek, then he was on his way.

Making his way down the streets and towards the center of the festival, Laurent kept his eyes keen The townswomen had been mysteriously losing their jewelry during the festival, left in a stupor and out in the open. With the festival finally coming to an end at the end of the week, Damen and Laurent were running out of time to find the culprit. It had been tireless work connecting the sparse clues and finding the similarities in each case to get to where Laurent stood now. In a blue dress, eyes roving the crowded streets.

His plan was foolproof. Even as the sun set, the festival’s crowd had yet to thin, travelers from all around still seeking to buy the largest quantities of lavender and rosemary goods made by the locals. And of course to enjoy other activities such as traditional dancing, lantern lighting, and well-wishing.

Laurent went up to one particular stall, looking over the samples of handkerchiefs scented with lavender. He picked out a light blue one that matched the color of his dress and smiled at the tender who blushed as Laurent paid and went on his way. 

The next stand over was selling sunflowers of all colors and sizes. Some were made into bouquets, some into corsages and boutonnieres. One particular loose flower was red and yellow and looked a lot like that of a lion’s mane. He smiled, unable to stop himself from picking it up and dropping a few coins on the table before moving on. 

At random, Laurent picked up a few things here and there, walking slowly as he looked over each item for sale, but also taking the occasional looked ahead of him. He knew there was a consistent shadow behind him, following him to each booth. He had his man on him now. 

As his final stop, Laurent walked to the wishing well, standing there for a moment among other people before dropping a gold coin into the well. He brought up his newly acquired handkerchief, covering his mouth and coughing into it, but being very careful to not actually breathe in any of the perfume. 

Taking a few steps back, he purposefully fumbled, making a point to nearly trip over his feet. Dramatically, Laurent seated himself on the other side of a fountain, facing away from the festival. There were few people where he sat and the only sounds around were coming from the fountain and the distant celebrations. 

Now, he waited.

Not much time needed to pass before he heard the faintest sound of footsteps. A giggling couple passed by first, paying him no mind as they continued on their way. In an effort to speed things up, Laurent swayed a bit, leaning over as if he was lightheaded, his breath becoming heavier on purpose. Though it was all act, it seemed to be believable enough that someone came up to him, asking if he was alright.

He nodded, slightly regaining his posture, but only for a moment before he leaned over again to take more deep breaths. 

Just as Laurent had planned for, he felt a hand rest at the curve of his neck, rubbing down a bit, then up. Two fingers lifted from his neck, gently releasing the clasp of the necklace so that it fell onto his lap.

“Oh dear, I’m terribly sorry. Here, let me help you,” said the stranger behind him. The necklace was taken but never replaced. 

Laurent pretended not to notice, coughing a bit. A hand then came over his that was adorned with three rings and a pearl bracelet. The ring on his ring finger began slipping away. Laurent let the ring go before snapping his hand back, gripping the stranger's wrist tightly and finally looking up at them.

“Not my mother’s wedding ring, you won’t,” said Laurent.

The thief - wearing an off-white, almost skin tone mask - looked at him shocked, his instincts likely telling him to run. 

He’d let him run. Let him think he’d won. 

That’s exactly what he did. He easily slipped from Laurent’s grasp and sprinted for the nearest alley. 

Laurent heard a curse from somewhere behind him before Damen galloped by, chasing after the thief. Watching him go, Laurent stood and dusted off his dress before making his way over to the building next to the alleyway.

# ♘♚♕♞

Damen took off in a burst, running after the escaping caper. 

The man before him was thin with long legs that kept him just ahead of Damen. They twisted and turned about in the alleyways, the streets becoming a blur. Damen was sure he’d be completely turned around by the time he caught the man and only hoped Laurent would be able to keep up. 

He took one heavy breath once he finally got just close enough that if he pounced, he would catch the man. He focused in, then took the leap. 

Almost…

His fingers just grazed the man's shirt when he took a sudden sharp turn, just out Damen’s reach. It all happened so slowly, him falling to the ground, the thief getting away.

Damnit. They’d been working so hard on figuring out how to catch this man, and Damen had let everyone down by miscalculation. Now the man was going to get away with the late Queens’ jewels. 

He watched the man just barely round the corner. But after the sense of slow motion ceased, a mere second after he made his realization that they were completely fucked, something blue came falling from the sky. It was large and fluttering down from the rooftop, directly above the man.

There was crashing of trash cans just beyond what Damen could see, so he quickly stood and scrambled to get over there before the man could escape again. What he saw was the last thing he expected. 

Laurent was straddling the man, his dress dirty and ripped to reveal half of his back, his hair disheveled. He was rustling through the man's pockets for a second before his arm whipped straight up into the air, a shiny ring with a massive diamond in its center held in his fingers. 

“I told you, sir, not my mother’s wedding ring,” said Laurent matter-of-factly.

Damen, crossing his arms, cleared his throat loudly. 

Laurent stopped and whipped his head around, hair falling over his shoulder, covering his also half revealed chest.

“What the hell was that? Were you planning to let him go all along?” asked Damen.

“Hello, Love. Of course. Where is the fun in just catching and having him arrested? How boring.”

“Is this a game to you?” Damen asked, raising a brow. He already knew the answer.

“It is the game I like, Dearest One,” Laurent said, then turned back to the thief beneath him. “Alright, fork it over. Where’s the rest of it? Stop looking at my nipple. It’s weird.”

Damen sighed deeply, dragging a hand down his face. He loved Laurent and would have ridden straight into hell for him and back. But sometimes, he was infuriating. 

“You have the right to remain silent,” Laurent began when there was a small pile of jewels beside him.

“Lau--”

“Shh, let me have me have my fun.”

Damen couldn’t help it. He smiled and did as he was told.


	2. Jewel Thief Number two

Nikandros was sure to pinch his nose right off by the end of the day. At least that’s what his mother used to tell him would happen if he continued his habit when feeling frustrated.

Before him stood his dearest friend and King, Damianos, dressed as a mere commoner. Beside him was his latest and longest lasting thing - one Prince of Vere dressed absolutely ridiculously in a long coat and suit beneath -- like Damen -- but with a deerstalker hat covering his blonde hair, and a pipe hanging out of his mouth. Obscene and unnecessary.

“I asked for detectives, not the two of you. What are you doing here?” Nikandros was careful to keep his voice low so as to not bring attention to them. They already had plenty of that, seeing as he was the town's Governor.

“You asked for detectives. You have two of the finest in the kingdoms standing right in front of you. So stand aside, sir.” said Laurent around his pipe.

“I had no idea you smoked,” Nikandros said, having just about had it with these two and their shenanigans.

“I don’t,” said Laurent. He gripped the pipe, as one would, and blew into it. Out from the spout, where there should have been smoke, came bubbles. “It helps me think.”

Nikandros was this close to… doing something. Anything to make it stop.

Laurent seemed to observe the shop before them and the police standing around, taking witness reports. The door was opened by the shopkeeper, but no one had been allowed in. It had all been left for the detectives.

Or, as it were - Damianos and Laurent.

“So, what’ve we got ‘ere gov’na. Burglary? Missing a sign? It’s more likely than ya think.” asked Laurent in an awful accent.

Damen had yet to say anything, seeming to prefer to grin stupidly while watching Laurent. Nikandros could practically see the hearts in his eyes.

“What we’ve got here is a break-in, but the only problem is that there is no entry point. There is no broken glass, no forced entry anywhere. We didn’t touch anything but did a simple walkthrough. Nothing. We only know of the crime because the shopkeeper came in early this morning and found many pieces of jewelry missing. 

Laurent hummed, looking over the shopfront again, and then began to make his way for the door. Nikandros wasn’t sure if any actual detectives would be coming, so he hoped the Veretian Prince was smart enough to figure it out. 

The blonde looked about the room, observing the many displays of jewelry, eyes scanning from ceiling to flooring and then back up again. 

“Watson, notepad.”

Damen walked over as if on command, producing a notepad and pen from his coat. Laurent took it and began writing.

“Notice,” he began upon finishing writing, ”everything that was stolen was low to the ground. Like it was stolen by a child. A very small child, perhaps a toddler.”

“Who would use a child for that --”

“You’d be surprised what a single person is willing to do to get what they want. Even using children who know no better.” 

Laurent walked further into the shop, going up to the jewelry cases. The clear glass counter had a half-door blocking anyone from just walking behind it and taking whatever was in the display.

“None of these were taken,” he said, pointing to the jewels in the glass display. “This door is shorter than the height at which everything was taken. A child could have easily opened it. Perhaps it was just a quick in-and-out,” said Laurent, though it sounded more like he was thinking out loud.

Nikandros and Damen followed Laurent around the small store, listening to his mumbling and observations.

“A lot of these displays are knocked over unless they were nailed down directly onto the surface they were placed,” said Damen, gently nudging at one of the nailed down bracelet displays. 

Laurent nodded, writing that down in his notepad. He was about to keep going, taking one step before coming to a dead stop, Nikandros and Damen nearly bowling him over.

“I’ve found your entry point,” he stated, walking over to the glass window display. 

He picked at the tiny picket fence that had been placed on the edge of the display, half of it crushed. Nikandros looked closer now as Laurent crawled into the display and pressed a hand on a corner of the glass. It slid out easily and crashed onto the sidewalk outside, causing a few screams.

“That’s tiny. It must’ve been a child.”

“Yes, but a child that is old enough to understand exactly what to do… would not fit through there. Nor would they knock over every single display along the way.” Laurent sat back on his calves, seeming to be deep in thought as he stared through the now open section of the store’s window.

Nikandros stared at it as well. How? Who? He definitely didn't need to ask why. That much was apparent. He sighed.

He saw a child, no older than ten, walk by the window slowly. Their attention was more so on the crowd growing outside than on the inside. A second later, a dog, more specifically, a beagle, stopped exactly in Nikandros’ view of the open space lacking glass. The dog looked at him with its big round eyes.

“What if it wasn’t a child?” Nikandros asked, staring directly at the dog. An idea was forming.

Laurent looked at him, curious. “Then what do you think it could have been?”

The dog’s tail began to wag. 

“You can train a dog to do anything. And they come in all shapes and sizes. They don’t have the exact articulation to be careful not to knock over displays, but they can identify shiny things and take them.”

Laurent blinked. “You think a dog took the jewelry?” He didn’t have an incredulous tone, but more of one trying to understand.

“Not the dog alone. He had help.” Nikandros glanced back to the child. He knew them. “Someone with a dire need for money.”

Laurent followed his gaze to the child. “You know them well enough?”

“I do. They’re not bad, but in a very bad situation.”

Laurent got out of the window display, delicately moving as to not disturb anything. “Come, then. It’s time we have a chat with our number one suspect.”

“I’m going to keep looking around,” said Damen.

He remained inside while they went out to begin the interrogation.

Nikandros had been the one to pull the child off to the side. He talked to him, but the boy absolutely refused to give up any correlation. But it was clear in his eyes, the slowly building guilt of not only stealing but of lying as well.

“How’s it going over here?” asked Laurent, strolling over.

Nikandros only sighed and shook his head. Laurent seemed to take this as a sign that he needed to take charge.

“Is this your dog? He’s really adorable. Has he got a name?” He asked as he came over and crouched down to be level with the boy.

The child, Alesander, nodded. “Argos.”

The dog’s attention was caught upon hearing his name, his tail wagging.

“Oh, I see. A very strong name for a strong dog. Tell me about him?”

Nikandros didn’t see the point behind the small talk about the dog during investigations. It wasn’t as if they had all day. They couldn’t likely prove that this child did anything unless they found the jewels in the child's possession, or if he confessed and lead them to the jewels.

“He knows lots of neat tricks, huh? But the one that intrigues me the most is that he will pick up shiny things upon your command. That is incredible and very cunning of you to think of. But not good to do.”

When the hell did the conversation take this sort of turn?

The boy’s face twisted into that of shock for a second before disappearing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, but I think you do. You’re a smart boy. I can tell. Look, things may sometimes be rough, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. There is always a way out. You’ll be in a bit of trouble, but it’ll be okay. I promise you. You won’t have to live with the guilt.”

Alesander seemed to falter at this, but then his face scrunched. “And if I did ...take something shiny. What would I do… about the reason that I took them in the first place?”

Nikandros saw Laurent slowly cracking the boy open. He made it look easy.

“As I said, there is always a light. A way. Help to be brought. You’ll be okay. As will your reason. I will personally see to it.”

And just like that, Alesander was confessing that he had done it with his dog Argos. He gave them a detailed explanation of the execution of his plan, then told them where he hid the jewels. All turned out.

Alesander sat, looking defeated while the legal processes were gone through. Argos had his head rested upon the boy’s leg, as though trying to comfort him. When it was all over, Laurent returned to his side. Nikandros joined them. 

“The mayor and I have spoken briefly. We have come to an agreement,” started Laurent, the tiniest bit of a smile on his lips. “We’ve decided to give you a job. A well paying one.”

Alesander glanced up, still sullen with his defeat.

“We’ve decided to make you the official messenger boy of Delpha. Your job will be to deliver documents that need quick delivery from here to the palaces of Ios, Arles, and Marlas.”

The boy looked up in shock. “But I’m not --”

“Yes, you are not yet of age to complete such a job yet. So the Prince of Vere has decided to begin paying you in advance until you are of age. Money to take care of your ‘reasons’. How does that sound to you?”

“I’m not going to jail?”

“No. You have a week of community service. Be sure to show up, or this deal is off. Okay?”

The boy nodded quickly, smiling. But then that same scrunched up look reappeared on his face. “There’s no way you could have talked to the Prince of Vere right now. It would have taken over two days to even get a message to him. You’re playing with me…”

“The Prince of Vere may like a good game, but now is not one of those times,” said Laurent. He lifted up his deerstalker hat to reveal the golden circlet that the Prince of Vere was known to wear. He then winked. “And I always keep my promises. But shh. This is our little secret.”

Alesander’s jaw dropped. 

“Now that this is settled, you’ll receive your first payment by tomorrow evening. Be good.”

Laurent stood up then from where he’d been crouching, dusting off and placing the pipe back in his mouth as he began walking off.

“W-wait!” called Alesander, standing up from the crate.

Laurent stopped and twisted around to look at him.

“Thank you!” said Alesander with a smile.

Laurent blew into that ridiculous pipe, bubbles floating out from it, then grinned around it.

Perhaps Laurent wasn’t all that bad, thought Nikandros. He had really pulled this one off and done so quickly. But he hoped that he would not yet need the country’s finest detective for a long, long time.

But now, they had to find Damen. Nikandros wondered where the man had wandered off to now.

**Author's Note:**

> There is actually another chapter, but after getting sick, I've been seriously down and out. So when I'm feeling up for it, I'll complete and post it as well!


End file.
